<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/s-p-setia">SP Setia</a> has lodged plans for a $750 million, three-tower mixed-use precinct that would complete the long-running redevelopment of Carlton's former Carlton United Breweries site.

The proposal at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/185-195-queensberry-street-carlton-vic-3053">46-78 Bouverie Street and 185-195 Queensberry Street</a> spans a 6,468 sqm site, the last remaining undeveloped parcels within the former brewery's 2007 masterplan.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cox-architecture">COX Architecture</a>, the development will comprise two purpose-built student accommodation towers and a third build-to-sell apartment tower above a shared commercial podium and basement.

Across the three towers, SP Setia is proposing 606 build-to-sell apartments and 1,499 student accommodation units containing 2,009 beds.

The apartments will sit in the tallest tower, which will rise nearly 200m and 55 storeys. It will become&nbsp;one of the more substantial new build-to-sell apartment projects at the northern edge of Melbourne's CBD.

The apartment mix is weighted toward smaller inner-city product, with 188 studios, 206 one-bedroom apartments, 192 two-bedroom apartments and 20 three-bedroom apartments

<img alt="First look: SP Setia plans three-tower finale for Carlton’s former CUB precinct" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8271bc87-1b0a-41b7-ac73-a425ee375261" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/3_2.png?VersionId=G4lw23o90B1boX4k4dj7rdz2ZEajS9wy" />

Part of the precinct will be a large-scale&nbsp;3,684 sqm supermarket and a further 2,198 sqm of speciality retail, creating close to 5,900 sqm of new commercial space within the precinct.

But one of the biggest components of the proposal is what sits between the buildings.

Around 4,650 sqm, or roughly 72 per cent of the site, will be publicly accessible open space, incorporating plazas, pedestrian connections, landscaped laneways and retail spill-out areas.

The ground plane is intended to finally complete pedestrian connections envisaged when the CUB masterplan was first approved nearly two decades ago, stitching together Victoria Street, Queensberry Street, Bouverie Street and Swanston Street through the former brewery precinct.

Urbis said the development would "complete the CUB precinct", with the public realm providing important north-south and east-west connections through what is currently the final undeveloped portion of the masterplanned site.

SP Setia is also exploring a new linear park within the Bouverie Street road reserve, with the concept to be developed further with the City of Melbourne through the planning process.

The proposal is being pursued through the Victorian Government's Development Facilitation Program under Clause 53.23 for significant residential development with affordable housing.

The planning report acknowledges the proposed heights exceed those contemplated under the original Comprehensive Development Plan and masterplan, but argues the built-form context has changed considerably over the past two decades.

Urbis said the three towers would instead create a stepped transition between Carlton and the Hoddle Grid, rising progressively from the 94.1-metre Tower One along the Queensberry Street edge to the 199.44-metre Tower Three closer to the established CBD-scale buildings to the south.

<img alt="SP Setia" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e885a07a-592c-40fc-bf82-e6dbaf32da54" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-21%20at%208.52.24%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=7s_ErUkSKAdY1mAWp3GRZgMNCGtwhk5m" />

SP Setia plans to deliver the development across three stages.

Stage One would deliver the basement, podium and retail areas for the entire precinct alongside the first student tower. Tower Two would follow in Stage Two, before the 606-apartment Tower Three is delivered as the final stage.

If approved and delivered, the project would close out a redevelopment process that has been underway since the former brewery masterplan was approved in 2007, adding more than 2,600 student beds and apartments to a precinct already home to Swanston Central, the Barak Building, RMIT Design Hub and several large student accommodation developments.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Joel Robinson

SP Setia plans three-tower finale for Carlton’s former CUB precinct

Melbourne developer Lowe Living is seeking to add to its growing bayside apartment pipeline, filing plans for a boutique eight-residence development in tightly held Middle Park.

Lowe Living, which has built much of its development portfolio across Melbourne's affluent bayside and south-east suburbs, is behind the plans for the 730 sqm site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/123-125-erskine-street-middle-park-vic-3206">123-125 Erskine Street</a>, just off Armstrong Street and within the Armstrong Street Neighbourhood Activity Centre.

The developer is seeking approval for a five-storey residential building above two basement levels, with just eight large-format apartments and 18 car spaces.

“This is a deliberately very different proposition for us,"&nbsp;Tim Lowe, Co-Founder of Lowe Living, said.

"Eight residences is exceptionally boutique, but that's precisely what this site calls for.

“There is a strong community in Middle Park and the surrounding suburbs who have spent decades building a life here. They no longer want the maintenance of a large period home, but they aren't prepared to compromise on space, quality or location. We think there is a real opportunity to capture that hyper local market. A site like this rarely comes to market.”

<img alt="Lowe " data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="875fe572-0f14-4d90-9e11-55b28dd07731" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-21%20at%208.42.49%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=GDNQRv9BfpR9r1zkZ5UDyUM4ZvpIksut" />

The low-density proposal has been designed by Cera Stribley and is being progressed through the Victorian Government's Great Design Fast Track pathway, having already secured eligibility from the Minister for Planning.

The Office of the Victorian Government Architect supported its eligibility after finding the proposal demonstrated consistency with the program's seven design principles, while the project's financial feasibility has also been independently confirmed by Invest Victoria.

The project is targeting the downsizer market, with the planning documents describing the homes as larger-format residences and noting the two penthouses could otherwise have been configured as four separate apartments.

<img alt="Lowe 2" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="60ab0987-2da6-4175-adac-315dcf6053c6" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-21%20at%208.43.15%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=bOCPH0B2MFwlmaRW.TTCF9TzyifgVoQI" />

The site has dual frontage to Erskine Street and Canterbury Place and currently comprises a collection of commercial buildings used as offices, including a former heritage bakehouse, a former stable, a later gabled addition and a central courtyard.

It sits within the Commercial 1 Zone and the Armstrong Street Commercial Precinct heritage overlay, with the existing property classified as a contributory heritage place.

Heritage has subsequently played a significant role in Cera Stribley's design.

The front section of the former bakehouse facing Erskine Street will be retained, including its return walls, street-facing hipped roof and chimneys, while the Erskine Street façade and part of the western return wall of the former stable will also be incorporated into the new development.

Levels four and five will be set back five metres from the retained stable façade, while bricks removed through demolition are proposed to be salvaged and reused within the new building where possible.

<img alt="Lowe 3" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e97927a9-a2de-4a0f-83b6-65451238abfa" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-21%20at%208.43.06%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=VR44AChLrX9q1XPB9GvVQV.ALXXbe4gC" />

Rather than presenting as a single five-storey building to Erskine Street, Cera Stribley has broken the development into a series of distinct forms.

A three-storey infill element will sit between the retained bakehouse and stable façades, with the upper levels recessed behind the heritage fabric. Canterbury Place will similarly feature two three-storey podium forms, separated by a central pedestrian accessway, before the upper two levels step back from the street.

A pedestrian through-link will run through the centre of the project between Erskine Street and Canterbury Place, creating entrances from both sides of the site and introducing landscaping and communal areas through the ground plane.

Landscape architect Acre has designed planting across the ground level, private terraces and upper levels, including a feature canopy tree at level three and integrated planting and arbours across the level four terraces. Five existing Erskine Street trees are proposed to be retained.

Sustainability is also a significant component of the Great Design Fast Track application. The apartments are targeting an average eight-star NatHERS rating, with no residence below 6.5 stars, while the project has achieved a 75 per cent BESS score. Seven of the eight apartments are designed for cross-ventilation, with the remaining residence using mechanically assisted natural ventilation.

The plans also incorporate an 8kWp rooftop solar system, a 5,000-litre rainwater tank and infrastructure allowing future electric vehicle charging for every residence.

Lowe has a strong portfolio across Melbourne's blue-chip suburbs. They recently launched <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/jardin-house-by-lowe-living-camberwell-335-camberwell-road-camberwell-vic-3124">Jardin House by Lowe Living</a> in Camberwell, their first development in the Stonnington LGA.

Lowe Living unveils Middle Park apartment development

Article summary

<ul data-end="888" data-start="289">
	<li data-end="442" data-section-id="8tsh6o" data-start="289">DVB Projects is preparing to launch its second Gold Coast apartment development, with demolition now underway at 137 Old Burleigh Road, Broadbeach.</li>
	<li data-end="573" data-section-id="1nyxl3e" data-start="443">The 34-level tower will comprise just 49 ultra-luxury residences, including half-floor, full-floor and penthouse apartments.</li>
	<li data-end="717" data-section-id="oiyimj" data-start="574">The launch follows strong demand at DVB's nearby Sea Glass project, which is more than 50 per cent sold and currently under construction.</li>
	<li data-end="888" data-section-id="epk9o9" data-start="718">The development adds to the transformation of Old Burleigh Road, with premium beachfront apartment projects continuing to reshape the tightly held Broadbeach strip.</li>
</ul>

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/dvb-projects">DVB Projects</a> is preparing to launch its second Gold Coast apartment development, with demolition now underway on the Broadbeach site as the Sydney developer moves closer to bringing the ultra-luxury project to market.

The 34-level tower at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/137-old-burleigh-road-broadbeach-qld-4218">137 Old Burleigh Road</a> will comprise just 49 residences, ranging from half-floor apartments through to full-floor homes and a penthouse. The launch follows the strong sales performance of DVB's nearby Sea Glass development. More than half of the apartments at Sea Glass, on the other side of Broadbeach, have been snapped up, well ahead of its late 2027 completion

<img alt="DVB Projects to commence demolition on $320m Broadbeach luxury tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2944b4be-c84e-4b54-8dc1-c712e76704c0" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/E02_Exterior_Street%20Level%20Entrance.jpg?VersionId=YoNig7pRdrE3HCue7sUj78LzJteeQf3H" />

The start of demolition at 137 Old Burleigh Road signals DVB Projects’ underlying confidence in the Gold Coast’s luxury beachside apartment sector.

“We see the Gold Coast as one of the most compelling lifestyle markets in Australia, particularly at the premium end where demand continues to deepen,” said Dean Brown, Managing Director of DVB.&nbsp;

“This project has been carefully designed to respond to that demand - delivering large-format residences with a level of quality, privacy and amenity that is still relatively rare in the apartment market on the beachside."

Brown says the site itself is "exceptional."

"Old Burleigh Road is one of the most tightly held beachfront strips, and opportunities to deliver a project of this scale and calibre in this location are extremely limited.”

<img alt="DVB Projects to commence demolition on $320m Broadbeach luxury tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="398f377a-c037-455e-9250-0c5e0d84c35b" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/I12_FF%20Balcony.jpg?VersionId=NwOiRWGMubR1c8wthuEfggklcja7al9." />

The project will comprise 40 half-floor residences of approximately 260 sqm, alongside eight full-floor residences spanning around 524 sqm.

A single penthouse will crown the building, featuring a private pool, barbecue area, indoor gym and dedicated entertaining spaces.

Residents will have access to a resort-style suite of amenities, including a 20-metre pool with daybeds, a gymnasium, hot and cold plunge pools, a sauna, and private residents’ lounge and dining facilities.

<img alt="DVB Projects to commence demolition on $320m Broadbeach luxury tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d1642bb0-9a66-4427-a022-dfc0988c6287" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/A02_Pool%20to%20View.jpg?VersionId=c0IXPyn_Gp_Kn3XCwzMrqIVkAdCEwVXP" />

Sales agent Todd Matheson, of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/pezet-matheson">Pezet Matheson</a>, which is marketing both 137 Old Burleigh Road and Sea Glass, said 137 Old Burleigh Road would address a clear gap in the market for genuine luxury products.

“There are very few opportunities on the Gold Coast where buyers can secure a residence of this size and quality in a new building,” Matheson said.

“What we’re seeing is a growing cohort of downsizers and interstate buyers who still want space - they’re not willing to compromise on living area, entertaining or finishes.

“This project has been designed with that buyer in mind. It offers the scale of a home, combined with the convenience and security of apartment living, in one of the coast’s most desirable positions.”

<img alt="DVB Projects to commence demolition on $320m Broadbeach luxury tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="59aae0ca-5639-4320-8aca-d0bf60f48e43" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/E01_Exterior%20Hero.jpg?VersionId=DS8Zfy2WtgUEtdfe0TEUuf1W1GfcZq8S" />

Located on a 1,156 sqm site one block from the beachfront, the development will replace an ageing walk-up building and is expected to contribute to the ongoing transformation of the Old Burleigh Road strip into one of the Gold Coast’s most prestigious residential corridors.

With the development moving into the delivery phase, 137 Old Burleigh Road is slated to hit the market later this year.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=145141]

DVB Projects to launch second Broadbeach apartment tower as demolition commences

<a data-end="327" data-is-only-node="" data-start="250" href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/norus-projects" rel="noopener" target="_new">Norus Developments</a> has lodged plans for a new apartment development in Clayton that would add further momentum to the suburb's emerging Green Street corridor.

Plans have been lodged for the consolidated site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/1359-1365-centre-road-clayton-vic-3168">1359-1365 Centre Road</a>, where Norus is seeking approval for 218 apartments across a 12-storey apartment building designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/life-architecture-and-urban-design">Life Architecture</a>.

The proposal sits within the Clayton Major Activity Centre at the threshold of the planned Green Street corridor, a landscaped pedestrian connection intended to improve links through the precinct towards Clayton Railway Station.

The development would replace the site's existing collection of low-scale residential and commercial buildings with a single consolidated building, introducing significantly greater housing density to this part of Centre Road.

A retail tenancy is proposed at ground level to activate the Centre Road frontage, accompanied by transparent street interfaces and landscaping intended to create a more pedestrian-focused edge to the development.

<img alt="First look: Norus Developments plans landscape-led apartment project for Clayton’s emerging Green Street" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0a5a763a-d9e9-4253-af2f-88008de27ebf" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Clayton%20a.png?VersionId=S2WJJbat1XVkZwB9SnYtygirXgWHiklX" />

The building has been designed with stepped massing and upper-level setbacks to manage its transition towards surrounding residential properties. The planning report describes the approach as one that integrates the building into the landscape rather than treating landscaping as a secondary element.

"A strong landscape and public realm strategy underpins the proposal," Urbis states in the planning report.

"Public benefits include an affordable housing contribution, a new pocket park, generous landscaped setbacks, deep soil planting and integrated Water Sensitive Urban Design."

The report adds that these elements are intended to create "a permeable, pedestrian-focused ground plane that enhances walkability, supports urban cooling and reinforces the emerging Green Street character."

Biophilic and passive design principles extend through the residential levels, with planting, daylight, natural ventilation and views towards landscaped areas forming part of the amenity strategy.

Parking would be concentrated away from the public realm, with 145 car spaces proposed from the rear laneway rather than dominating the Centre Road frontage.

The proposal follows an extensive pre-application process with the City of Monash. Three formal meetings were held between the project team and Council from December 2025 to March 2026, with the scheme evolving through several concept iterations before the current design was lodged.

The project arrives as Clayton prepares for substantial change around its established activity centre and the wider Suburban Rail Loop precinct. Its position on Centre Road places the development within an existing concentration of shops, services and public transport, while the Green Street connection is intended to strengthen pedestrian access towards Clayton Railway Station.

First look: Norus plans landscape-led apartment project for Clayton’s emerging Green Street

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/gardner-vaughan-group">Gardner Vaughan Group</a> has officially commenced construction on Bronze on Chevron, celebrating the sod turning of its first-ever Gold Coast development and marking a significant milestone in the company's continued expansion across South East Queensland.&nbsp;

Following the successful delivery of premium residential developments throughout Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/bronze-on-chevron-8-mawarra-street-chevron-island-qld-4217">Bronze on Chevron</a> represents Gardner Vaughan Group's entry into the Gold Coast market. Bronze will deliver 119 one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments above two ground-level retail tenancies.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=107520 project_image_fid=367193]

The recent sod turning ceremony was attended by Deputy Mayor Mark Hammel, President of the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club, Cassandra Sedgman, project consultants, purchasers, project partners and invited guests to celebrate the commencement of construction.&nbsp;

Gardner Vaughan Group Chief Executive Officer Simon Betteridge said Bronze on Chevron represented an exciting new chapter for the business.&nbsp;

"We've spent almost four decades building homes that respond to the way people want to live, and we're excited to bring that experience to <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/chevron-island-qld-4217">Chevron Island</a>," Betteridge said.

"Bronze on Chevron is particularly significant because it marks Gardner Vaughan Group's first development on the Gold Coast following many successful projects across Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=107520 project_image_fid=367183]

Betteridge said the ground breaking is a proud moment for the&nbsp;team and their purchasers, who can now see their future homes beginning to take shape.&nbsp;

"As both developer and builder, we're able to oversee every aspect of the project from design through to construction, ensuring the quality and attention to detail Gardner Vaughan Group has become renowned for."&nbsp;

Designed by acclaimed architectural practice <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cottee-parker-architects">Cottee Parker</a>, Bronze on Chevron has been thoughtfully designed to complement Chevron Island's evolving streetscape while embracing its relaxed coastal lifestyle.

The development will offer generous residences with refined interiors, premium finishes and resort-style amenities, with completion anticipated in early 2029.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=107520]

The development will offer generous residences with refined interiors, premium finishes and resort-style amenities, with completion anticipated in early 2029

Gardner Vaughan Group breaks ground on first Gold Coast development, Bronze on Chevron

Interview

redblackarchitect

The complexity of Fishermans Bend: An interview with Rob McGauran

<html><body>
Following on from our piece on <a href="/news/sterling-globals-grand-plans-for-huntingdale">Sterling Global's plans for its Huntingdale site</a>, comes our chat with DKO Architecture's regarding the firm's work on the masterplanning of the project in addition to their experiences working on similar projects throughout Melbourne.

Quite often the simple solution is to deliver a gated, homogeneous housing estate with no connection with the greater community of which it should form a part. Projects such as Huntingdale and their work with <a href="http://www.cedarwoods.com.au/">Cedar Woods</a> on<a href="http://www.dko.com.au/cms_subcat_16/master3"> Banbury Village</a> in Footscray and <a href="http://www.jacksongreen.com.au/">Jackson Green</a> in Clayton South are a departure from the model of housing, featuring a mix of housing typologies aimed at a varied demographic on former brownfield sites within established suburbs.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/banbury_village.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Banbury Village. © DKO Architecture"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="435" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/banbury_village.jpg?itok=69lv8ZKn" title="Banbury Village. © DKO Architecture" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Banbury Village. © DKO Architecture</figcaption></figure>Laurence Dragomir: DKO has built up a portfolio of masterplanned residential work in addition to the high rise projects of recent times. What do you enjoy about working on these less glitzy projects?

Koos De Keijzer: We're getting somewhat fatigued of doing projects like that (laughs). But seriously I believe from an architectural perspective the hardest challenge for architects out there is doing curated housing in the outer suburbs. Part of the real kind of issue with urbanity in Australia and a lot of the new world is the sense of our suburbs being incredibly similar and it's probably getting some higher density housing typologies in the suburbs that starts to make it kind of interesting.

What's been really interesting about the Huntingdale project is the site all up is 18.8ha and we've got about 1,000 dwellings, half of which are low-rise apartments and half of which are terraces, detached houses and attached houses. So straightaway it's nice that we've been able to provide a 50/50 mix.

Certainly up on Huntingdale Road we thought a mixture of 4-5 storeys was appropriate, poking above tree tops with views over the golf course towards the east. What we normally do is orientate these 'superlots' north-south so from a solar point of view, from an amenity point of view it becomes quite attractive.

We've also got a little commercial centre planned for the entrance as part of the superlot so it's a separate planning application with the intent of becoming a foca lpoint that will have a supermarket and further retail.

LD: What was the main overarching theme or design driver for the project?

KK: Our kind of big picture story, Laurence was about linking Davies Reserve which sits to the north and Talbot Park to the south-east of the site with a green band. I like the idea that if I lived here I could send my kids to an attractive recreational space and they'd only need to cross two roads at most to get there.

LD: I suppose the other added benefit of introducing additional green open space and then designing apartments with an outlook towards them is the opportunity it provides for passive surveillance of these public areas.

KK: Certainly, and the plan features a couple of east-west blocks which we normally place a couple of cores so we always get through-apartments. Part of our story that's really strong is the whole concept of practical sustainability and not having south facing apartments, which I think is criminal and should be outlawed.

Also it's not just sustainability but also also the fact that we've broken the site up into four precincts comprising two wetland precincts - a boulevard precinct and an urban precinct - which forms part of the story of taking a whole and breaking it into sections.

What we're always keen to push, Laurence, is a whole series of different typologies and what we don't want to do is have these 13m wide by 13m deep single storey monotonous dwellings. The other nice thing about the client group and Brandon and Neil from <a href="http://sterlingglobal.com.au/">Sterling Global</a> is that they were really keen to embrace contemporary architecture, and for us as contemporary architects it was about what a contemporary housing community might look like.

Put very simply we work the corners hard and if you get the corner right the remaineder tends to take care of itself. As we have higher densities some dwellings have underground car parks, some have laneways while others are just front loaded. The otherfactor that keeps us interested is how the built form addresses the public realm.

LD: I think one of the things that stands out most for me is the way materials have been employed.The use of timber and brick while nothing new, appears to have been given plenty of thought in how it is employed creating more rich and diverse streetscapes.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/dko_hunt_v01_finale_v4_sml.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Huntingdale. © DKO Architecture"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="326" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/dko_hunt_v01_finale_v4_sml.jpg?itok=MiLEO5tD" title="Huntingdale. © DKO Architecture" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Huntingdale. © DKO Architecture</figcaption></figure>KK: I guess it's sometimes tough because housing is so personal but what we're always keen to do is find this new contemporary authenticity. We have this beautiful building in Brighton that was loosely based upon an old Schindler house that I saw in LA; it's got elements of timber and has this notion of trying to weave nature in through natural materials which is what makes it interesting.

LD: How far advanced are you with the designs of the buildings? Speaking with Brandon previously he indicated that the two-storey townhouses along the perimeter were the most advanced.

KK: Yes they were the most advanced largely by way of being neighbour driven as they're at the interface with existing dwellings. They present as courtyard homes with a two-storey portion at the front and single storey portion at the rear. We're big on zero lotting, Laurence, so we like to zero lot the southern boundary so that you maximise the northern space on those east-west dwellings.

Ultimately we really enjoy these kinds of jobs and there are few architects that work in the suburban setting, most prefer to work in more urban environs with the taller stuff. Here it's architectural tinkering. It's about trying to manage diversity and curating streets but not wanting them to look the same. We're very much creating an architecturally interesting setting with a sense of individuality.

LD: Thank you again for your time Koos, always a pleasure.
</body></html>

Laurence Dragomir

DKO's Koos de Keijzer talks Huntingdale

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Beller Commercial recently completed their annual Commercial Retail Research, a matrix of Melbourne’s notable shopping strips which judges their performance over the last year. A unique initiative spearheaded by Beller Commercial Director, Fred Nucara, the Commercial Retail Research report is a detailed run down of the fluctuating fortunes of Melbourne’s famously fickle retail high streets and their performance.

The information in the report is gathered by the Beller team, hitting the streets and literally pounding the pavement in order to converse with retail tenants. Apartments.com.au spoke to Fred Nucara about Beller's research process, the findings of the report and any trends that they have emerged during the period of the research.

Laurence Dragomir: Can you tell us a bit more about the report and the level of research your team undertakes to develop the report and why you do it?

Fred Nucara: Basically what happens is that my team will walk all the shopping strips on this matrix. There's a cross reference process in place; they verify what's available online such as properties for 'For Lease' and match that up with what can be see - are there boards or banners on properties? Are the properties vacant? Are they closing down and so on.

It's time and labour intensive but the results speak for themselves compared to some of the research that has come out from the major agencies in the city which is very much desktop. Not only do the teams want to educate themselves about what's happening on their strip, but we wanted to get a snapshot so that when we are talking to a potential client, if we have a property for lease or for sale we are able to give them real time information about what's going on on that particular strip. There's nothing like first hand knowledge.

We can give examples where say 9 months ago there were 15 vacancies and now there's 20 or now there's 10, and that tells us something. For both our clients interest and our own, it pays to get out there and provide the most up to date information possible.

LD: Each time you do research is it always the same set of shopping strips?

FN: It's the same list of streets that we visit and we don't deviate off that list. I think there's about 23-24 visited each survey and we break it up as there's always markets within markets. A prime example of this is Chapel Street, broken down over it's Windsor, Prahran and South Yarra sections.

LD: Was there anything in particular that surprised you or stood out since you last conducted the research?

FN: The latest round of research was done in April 2015 and before that it was last done during September last year. The big surprise has been that in Chapel Street, South Yarra there has been seven properties let.

In September of last year there were 27 vacancies and as a result there's now only 20, and while it's still an elevated vacancy rate there are signs of recovery. A quarter of the properties taken up in seven months is quite a result.

Another notable result is Swan Street in Richmond, falling from 20 vacancies in September down to 12, which again if you look at that ratio equates to a 40% drop in vacancies. That is actually a pretty decent success rate over a six to seven month period.

If you had to look at the three big results, Bay Street and Church Street in Brighton also fared well. We look at Bay and Church as combined strips in Brighton, so along with the Swan and Chapel strips they make up the three big performers or best improvers over the period. Whitehorse Road, Balwyn was probably another one that jumped out at us, moving from 11 vacancies down to just three.

LD: What do you put that improvement in the space of seven months down to?

FN: There are what we call some general overarching economic reasons as to why this increased level of activity has taken place. In this environment where business funding is pretty low, the confidence exists to borrow as a small business because funding is very cheap.

Alternatively some of these tenants and businesses are acting as owner-occupiers and buying the properties. What that does is it removes them from the tenancy market altogether because they want to become the owner of their freehold and run their business. The other thing too that happens is that landlords' expectations on rent begin to align more with what is considered a feasible proposition for a lot of small businesses.

What I mean by that is if you look at most of these strips, most of the rents will fall between $50,000-80,000 per annum, so there's this band where some rents begin to adjust and landlords begin to treat and transact, in other words the landlord that wants to get $90,000 p.a but is happy to keep cash flow at $80,000.

Even with all the evidence we've got which is shown to the landlord upfront, on occasion they may not accept the figures before them. They may believe their shop is worth $100,000 p.a but we think we're going to get around $70,000 and so often they need time in the market to experience that, and with our research and direct contact with offers from tenants then they begin to align their expectations.

LD: I suppose the one thing that really interests us here at Apartments.com.au is the impact of gentrification and new developments on these strips.

FN: That's a huge impact but it's more of a psychological impact, Laurence and I'll tell you what I mean by that. For example, if you have an area that has a lot of permits approved for apartment developments it is mooted that that area could become a really positive area in the future. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's an impetus for tenants to pick-up vacant space so what we tend to find is the impetus is actually when they start to see cranes and the construction coming out of the ground.

Good examples of this are areas like Collingwood, Fitzroy and Prahran. Cranes equal an increased local population and as a result of that it provides confidence to sign leases. What they're banking on is that they'll be able to attract the new residents across their front door; it creates this wave of activity that's much stronger in areas where they know there are cranes, properties and tenants ready to move in or residents ready to move in.

LD: On that basis do you think that Chapel Street, South Yarra has struggled somewhat because most of the new apartment development has been concentrated within the Forrest Hill precinct and further north along Chapel?

FN: Chapel Street, South Yarra has probably struggled for two reasons. I think one is definitely the concentration around Forest Hill and that has perhaps sapped a bit of the life out of Chapel Street to a degree, but Chapel Street has always commanded premium rents. What's happened there is because it's such a long strip the rents have gotten to a level now where some of these national businesses can barely afford and be profitable, but they do it to have a presence on Chapel Street.

So what you're probably seeing is it's suffered from the rents being traditionally high and it's hard to sustain those rates per sqm in those locations, particularly when you've got Emporium or an expanded Chadstone sucking a portion of the customer base away from Chapel Street, South Yarra. That means less customers through South Yarra, which is quite different to Chapel Street, Windsor by the way - very, very different demographics - so the customers are going and spending there money elsewhere, consequently placing pressure on businesses to pay their rental rate.

LD: Thank you for your time Fred.
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Beller's 2015 Commercial Retail Research results are in

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Following on from <a href="/news/bkks-simon-knott-talks-cirqua-ivanhoe-east">last week's piece on Cirqua</a> comes the second installment of Apartments.com.au's chat with BKK Director Simon Knott encompassing aspects of the practice's work, the lure of apartment living and the ever changing landscape of the apartment market.

Laurence Dragomir: We touched on the focus being on the owner occupier market with relation to the Cirqua development, but have you found that coming to the fore in the types of multi-res projects the office is working on?

Simon Knott: We tend not to get too involved in the investor driven type projects. In terms of the mulit-residentail work we're doing, we're currently working with Neometro on part of the Victrack development at Jewell Station which has been a fantastic project. It's really exciting as it's an entire precinct which is just about to be submitted for planning.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/jewell_station.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Jewell Station development. © BKK"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="393" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/jewell_station.jpg?itok=hFnUKdfr" title="Jewell Station development. © BKK" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Jewell Station development. © BKK</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
Jewell Station is a precinct-based approach to Placemaking. The design encompasses a more holistic approach to urban regeneration that builds upon the local character and delivers a benchmark solution for inner-city living. The creation of an urban village will act as a catalyst for positive change and future high-quality development in the area. The project was won through a competitive VicTrack bid process where BKK were the master-planners for the site and architects for the northern apartment building.

The outcome is a design led solution that incorporates the latest in community consultation, sustainable practice, access for all, integrated living and adaptability. The process for realising this project has been a highly collaborative one that involves an expansive team of consultants including, among others, MA Architects, Glas Landscape and Neometro.
<cite>BKK website</cite>
</blockquote>

SK: We're also doing an interesting one in Fitzroy actually, which I think <a href="/news/bkks-latest-far-from-mundane">Urban.com.au touched upon in a piece</a> a few weeks ago. The current owners bought the site with a permit for 14 or 16 apartments, and there were issues with the design so we completely reworked them into eight townhouses and that is firmly aimed at the downsizer market - every townhouse has an internal lift inside so you get four levels plus a rooftop terrace of a really high quality.

We're working on the interiors at the moment and we think they're as good as any house we have designed previously. The big difference though is how many ways can you plan out a 3.5m long kitchen for example - it's so formulaic.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/fitzroy_townhouses.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Fitzroy Townhouses. © BKK"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="309" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/fitzroy_townhouses.jpg?itok=RKoDL45B" title="Fitzroy Townhouses. © BKK" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Fitzroy Townhouses. © BKK</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
A collection of eight luxury, 4-level, vertical dwellings. The project draws upon the local character and various dwelling typologies to create a new type of housing for this gritty, inner-city suburb of Melbourne. High levels of environmental design, vertical green spaces and extra-large dwellings are clustered around a tranquil courtyard garden. Every aspect of this project is considered in detail to achieve a benchmark well beyond the standard.
<cite>BKK website</cite>
</blockquote>

SK: I think people are coming to architects like us wanting to get something different and hopefully the likes of Kerstin (Thompson) and those other residential architects get recognised for that, in favour of some of the others. Don't get me wrong though there's certainly a place for investor driven apartments and I don't have a problem with them.

Upper House by JCB, I've been to it a couple of times and I've taken our students in there as well - now they're not lavish apartments in size and they're pretty stripped back in terms of what the interiors are but they've done a really good job with the project. In terms of borrowed light the one bedders you can open it all out which I think is what I'd rather have - something that's more of a studio space. On top of that it's a great location to live in.

I also think there's a cultural shift in the works; it's not just the empty nesters but also younger people who are not wanting to live in the outer suburbs. That's the overseas experience too, it just hasn't quite fully taken grasp in Australia yet but people in general are spending more time out, whether it's for coffee or breakfast etc. Generally you need to be close to activity hubs to get that.

The interesting thing will be getting into the 3 bedders. Everyone keeps talking about the need for more three bedroom apartments yet developers say "we put these 3 bedders in and no one buys them" because they cost you $800-900K and people would rather buy a house. I think we're starting to see that shift where eventually more families will be drawn into apartments.

LD: A number of developers tested the waters with regard to the higher end product about 3-4 years ago with developments like the previous incarnation of Avenue and Capitol in South Yarra which didn't garner all that much interest and in Avenue's case. It was redesigned with more apartments. If the original design was marketed say today it would probably sell in a matter of weeks. Do you feel there's more quality apartment projects now then there was a few years ago?

SK: There's definitely a march in that direction. The downside for us is everyone wants to change everything because they're going to be living in them. They want to change the robes, the kitchens, the number of bedrooms and so what we're ending up with is there's no standardisation which can be quite good in a way because it's more akin to designing a house. If it's an investor project they'd just sign off on it and move in after 2-3 years time.

LD: BKK are getting involved in the next Commons-style development?

SK: Yes we are, we're involved in Nightingale 2.0. Jeremy's a good friend and he asked us to get involved in Nightingale 1 but it just wasn't the right time for us to do so yet we're fully supportive of it and think it's a great idea. There's not that many architects involved, about half a dozen out of 24 in this case and they've got a strong group of professional colleagues associated. I think there'll be an ongoing market for it, and the next version promises to be interesting

LD: Thanks again for your time Simon, much appreciated.
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Discussing apartment living with BKK's Simon Knott

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Designed by BKK Architects, for developer <a href="http://www.cubikdevelopments.com.au/welcome">Cubik</a>, Cirqua is located at 206 Lower Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe East and comprises 44 bespoke and expansive 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments which offer owners the choice of one of 36 individually articulated interior floor plans.

<blockquote>
We have chosen to build Cirqua to this level of design quality because we wanted to have an inherent sense of architectural beauty about it.
<cite>Jim Fagan, Cubik</cite>
</blockquote>

A key design feature of the building are the circular portal windows which are a reference to the rich architectural landscape of Ivanhoe East and its Arts &amp; Craft and Queen Anne Federation residences. The 20th century Arts &amp; Craft movement conceived homes as part of a total ensemble that also included not only the architecture, but also the garden and it was these principles that provided the inspiration for Cirqua.

Landscape designer John Patrick has carefully considered the surrounding landscape and private courtyards encompassing Cirqua. He specified a proliferation of native plants and trees for the garden and some courtyards will be as large as 100 SQM.

In front of Cirqua, an established Yellowbox gumtree will create a sense of place for the building, while native evergreens will soften the perimeters of the property, providing privacy and enclosure while encouraging a feeling of being amongst the native flora and fauna of the area.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_4001.jpeg" rel="gallery-all" title="Cirqua facade close up. © BKK"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="869" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_4001.jpeg?itok=tlDctj5F" title="Cirqua facade close up. © BKK" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Cirqua facade close up. © BKK</figcaption></figure>Apartments.com.au caught up with BKK director Simon Knott at their offices on Russell Street initially to discuss Cirqua, but also to gain a general over view of the work the office is producing. The latter aspect will appear in a <a href="/news/discussing-apartment-living-with-bkks-simon-knott">separate article</a> on Apartments.com.au.

​Laurence Dragomir: Can you tell us a little bit about the project Simon? It seems specifically designed to respond to the owner occupier market.

Simon Knott: The project was firmly aimed at owner occupiers with the main driver being creating homes for people, for us that market has shifted quite dramatically in a fairly short period of time. It wasn't long ago when the Grattan Institute released a couple of reports talking about the state of the market and what was out there, particularly in the middle ring suburbs which weren't really being catered for.

Perhaps people who want to live in slightly smaller developments, who don't want to live in 300 apartment-type developments. They want bigger apartments, they want bigger living spaces and in the end what they really want is for them to be homes. At the time the reports were released, most of the developments going up in Melbourne featured smaller apartments, with the exception of a number of developments in Docklands, St Kilda Road or detached housing out on the periphery.

That has suddenly shifted quite dramatically and I think it's a cultural shift and I think it's partly driven by economics.

It's also young people looking to enter the market as well as that downsizer market where people have the family home, particularly if you're in places like Ivanhoe, Glen Iris, Hawthron, Kew, Birghton etc. All those places where you can sell a house for $3-4m, and they've probably got 100% equity in it but then buy a really nice place in an apartment building for say $1m in the same area. They have all the benefits of that in addition to security, low maintenance, lifestyle; all the benefits that come with those types of developments and people are really making the move.

We're excited by it because it means for us as a practice - whose foundations have been in houses - firstly renovations and then single houses which all provide an opportunity to create really good living environments for people that aren't just the base unit.

Cirqua features 36 different types of apartment which are bigger than what you would normally expect, typically 70-80sqm for 1 bedders, and even given that people are still buying them and then combining them into larger apartments which we're quite staggered by. This is clearly empty nesters that are doing this but we had some 3 bedders, one of which would have been about 110sqm and they want to take out the third bedroom replace it with a small study nook and increase the size of the living area, because that's what they want, they want a large living space; it's got a good view, it's got a great aspect and it's difficult to get apartment developments up in these areas.

Cirqua provides a really good opportunity to buy into the area and with the new zoning rules it will probably make it even more difficult.

LD: I suppose areas like Ivanhoe East are also more sensitive in terms of the established neighbourhoods and so are more likely to see opposition to this type of development?

SK: We wouldn't have gotten this up under the current zoning rules, it took a long period of time and was an exhaustive process but we lodged a year or so before the new zoning was implemented. Had it have gone to VCAT the danger would have been that the determination is made based on the laws of the day.

Now the planning permit will be assessed against the rules that were in place when the application was submitted but that's not the case with VCAT. But we managed to get it through which is quite amazing.

LD: Ivanhoe is generally associated with the Arts and Crafts movement and the houses of Harold Desbrowe - Annear. How much influence did that have over the development's architecture?

SK: We did a bit of a study of the vernacular in the area looking at the streetscape and the typical sort of Queen Anne Federation, bungalow 1920's inter-war style architecture and that really tough, muscular form, with highly articulated facade, masonry etc. that is then offset by this fine level detail and recessed balcony / verandah spaces. Those were the sort of elements that really stood out to us and with Cirqua we tried to provide, I guess a contemporary interpretation and one other important feature was how the houses related to landscape and that as really fundamental to the garden city terrace house.

We wanted to create a highly articulated facade that broke down the scale. Essentially trying to make it read as two large houses of 4-4.5storeys due to the sloping nature of the site which slopes quite steeply to the rear of the site. So it's a little deceptive in its scale. There's a gun barrel entry which people were a bit skeptical about initially, which surprised us because we thought it would be fantastic, you would be able to look right through the building to the other end.

At the moment the proposal is for those Whitney Museum sort of lights, so a whole series of lights just running down the centre of the space.

​The way the landscape was then drawn into the plan was via these deep recesses so we can get natural light, cross-ventilation through into the apartments; we don't do bedrooms with borrowed light. All living areas get a great aspect and the bedrooms all get some sort of internal courtyard space with quality amenity, then there are the sizeable decks. All in all we're pretty happy with the design outcome.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_4002.jpeg" rel="gallery-all" title="Bedroom interior with view to internal courtyard. © BKK"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_4002.jpeg?itok=JrFhCY7j" title="Bedroom interior with view to internal courtyard. © BKK" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Bedroom interior with view to internal courtyard. © BKK</figcaption></figure>Next week, <a href="/news/discussing-apartment-living-with-bkks-simon-knott">we continue our chat</a> with Simon Knott about BKK's work, the lure of apartment living and the ever changing apartment market landscape.
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BKK's Simon Knott talks Cirqua, Ivanhoe East

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Urban.com.au recently spoke with <a href="http://milieuproperty.com.au/">Milieu Property</a> co-founder and Director of Milieu Built (Milieu’s associated construction company) Michael McCormack about the company's ethos and values, their work and how Milieu was conceived.

The discussion with Michael began with his career post schooling as a carpenter; despite enjoying the trade wanted to become far more involved in the entire development process. He subsequently went back to study construction and it was during this time that he landed a position with Sinclair Brook, a project management firm that focuses on property development on behalf of large scale institutional clients, and which also supervised some of the larger scale projects in Melbourne.

Michael plied his trade there for seven years but came to realize that large scale projects weren't at his heart. Michael wanted to focus on something that he could relate to, such as the family home, something he believes everyone can relate to, and is of a scale that is far more relatable. Subsequently Michael shifted to BPM who are now much more of a large scale developer, but at the time were developing the types of projects that Michael and Milieu are currently pursuing - small scale apartment and townhouse projects.

<blockquote>
I realized pretty quickly that it was the scale that I wanted to work at - the scale that I live in and can relate to.
<cite>Michael McCormack</cite>
</blockquote>

Laurence Dragomir: Looking through Milieu's body of work, would it be fair to say that you develop a product that is geared more towards the owner-occupier market than say the investor?

Michael McCormack: 100%. Our target is myself, my friends, my family and when I say my family I mean my sisters. So I look at the established house prices in areas that I'd like to live in and appeal to me like Fitzroy, Carlton, North Fitzroy etc. and it's unaffordable for someone my age. I started thinking, well I can't afford an established home in that area, but I want to live in the area just not in an a large scale apartment building of say 200 apartments.

So what's the gap in the market? The gap in the market is something that I want to live in and how do I create it? That has been my focus, I suppose, since we started so that's very much why our developments are owner-occupier focused.

LD: Do you see in the foreseeable future an opportunity or desire to go up in scale, not so much high-rise but more an increase in density?

MM: Up until recently we have been doing smaller scale projects like 5 townhouses or 11 apartments for example, and we're about to launch a project in Collingwood called Peel, that is 35 apartments but again its focus is absolutely on occupiers. That has sort of been the mantra for the project - apartments to live in.

We looked at some of the apartment projects in the area and we noticed two things: there's kind of the larger scale apartment projects which are more geared towards investors and then there's a group of really nice apartment projects but they're often unaffordable. We've tried to pick the gap there and say let's focus this on owner occupiers whilst still creating apartments that are affordable.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/peel_by_milieu.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Peel by Milieu. "><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="317" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/peel_by_milieu.jpg?itok=MpAvDuL4" title="Peel by Milieu. " width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Peel by Milieu.</figcaption></figure>LD: You've worked previously with architects such as <a href="http://www.dko.com.au/">dKO</a> and <a href="http://www.fieldworkprojects.com.au/">Fieldwork</a>. What is your process in terms of engaging the architects you work with and picking the right architect for the right project?

MM: Initially we try and work with the same group of consultants, the same team consistently through our projects and we work with a select group of architects and dKO and Fieldwork are in that strand of architects. Cjoice of architect is based upon seeing whether the firm has similar ideals, aspirations and passions that we do for development. If you look at Fieldwork they've got a publication, Assemble Papers which is all about small footprint living.

Their interests in terms of development align very strongly with our own and that extends to design quality and design integrity - the guys we work with are unbelievable at what they do.

LD: I guess the hot topic at the moment in the industry is apartment standards, what is your take?

MM: It's a really interesting discussion and I think it really is an ongoing discussion. I know the guys from Assemble Papers are working on something in relation to it which I'm participating in and they're asking some interesting questions; not necessarily about asking people if they want a larger apartment because a lot of people will say yes, but they're asking would you be willing to sacrifice size for design. For instance would you rather a 45sqm well designed apartment over a 50sqm stock standard apartment? And I probably align with them on that.

I don't think you get the best outcome by prescribing a minimum apartment size. We respond to context and I think designers are very good at what they do; design is better if you do respond to context and the market rather than designing by a checked box which is unfortunately what SEPP 65 has done in Sydney. So you get apartment developments which respond to and meet all the requirements but aren't great.

What we do in inner Melbourne is try to unlock really small sites for appropriate development but often the requirements are so prescriptive that these sorts of sites cannot to be unlocked.

Ultimately I'm all for well designed apartments with quality amenity for the occupier and most of the principles the Better Apartments discussion paper talks about, but I don't think it needs to be so prescriptive.

LD: When are you looking at launching Peel? 

MM: We're going to launch it in early July. We've got a display suite on site and as part of that display suite we'll be running a series of exhibitions in a gallery within the space at the same time which is linked to <a href="http://milieuproperty.com.au/instagram">Melbourne Milieu</a> which we've launched on our website. We've sought to work with a group of photographers to catalogue Melbourne. It's not about our projects, you won't see our buildings or anything related to our projects.

Melbourne Milieu is more about hanging out in Melbourne and what inspires us. The photography exhibition is kind of an extension of that coupled with a Broadsheet publication that we're going to launch shortly.

Peel Street's a really important project for us and I think it's really the next step for us in terms of focusing on the occupier, but also moving towards trying to create something even more affordable than the work we've been doing up until now. What we have been doing to date is providing townhouses that are below an established house price but the reality is that not everyone can afford a townhouse so it's taking that next step to create apartment spaces that are very livable but are also attainable to people my age and younger.

LD: Thanks for your time Michael and looking forward to dropping in and checking out the Peel display suite.
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An interview with Milieu's Michael McCormack

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Michael Smith, Director of architecture firm Atelier Red + Black and Apartments.com.au Industry Hub member, has gone to extraordinary lengths to mark the occasion of his 100th article on his personal blog, <a href="https://theredandblackarchitect.wordpress.com/about/">The Red and Black Architect</a>.

No stranger to regular Apartments.com.au readers, Michael's commentary on all aspects of architecture provides valuable insights and adds another layer of depth to Apartments.com.au's content. So what better way to mark his 100th article on The Red and Black Architect then to glean insight from leading Melbourne figures and fellow industry participants.

Below is an excerpt taken from <a href="https://theredandblackarchitect.wordpress.com/2015/05/04/the-red-black-architect-post-100/">his recent post</a>. The responses below as to why good architecture is so important could not have been answered in a more telling and comprehensive manner.

<hr>
<h2>What is your favourite building or space in Melbourne? And why?</h2>

Peter Hitchener – Chanel Nine News Presenter, Melbourne Icon. <a href="https://twitter.com/phitchener9">@phitchener9</a>

It’s hard to decide on one favourite building or space – there are so many in Melbourne… The Royal Exhibition Building, Flinders Street Station and St Paul’s are obvious choices.. Fed Square continues to be hugely popular as a meeting place, but my favourite Melbourne building is the National Gallery in St Kilda Road designed by Sir Roy Grounds, as well as the Arts Centre theatre and concert hall. I find the art gallery in particular induces feelings of calm, reflection and creativity; and I love the famous stained glass ceiling. It’s always worth a visit and I am never disappointed.

Jeff Kennett – Former Premier of Victoria, (Via Twitter). <a href="http://twitter.com/jeff_kennett">@jeff_kennett</a>

The Treasury Gardens in Spring Street, outside my old office. The gardens are a restful place for clear thinking and contentment. There are also many other great open spaces in Melbourne and Victoria as well.

Alison Cleary – Chapter Manager, Victorian Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects

My favourite place in Melbourne is both a place and a moment in time. Federation Square February 13th, 2008. Standing with 10,000 Melbourneites, black and white, watching the big screen as the Then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologised to the Stolen Generations. The feeling of connection and togetherness, standing shoulder to shoulder with 1000s of others who had longed for this moment – the opportunity to say we are sorry and this should not have happened. A quintessential Melbourne moment contained within a quintessential Melbourne space.

Sonia Sarangi – Co-Director Atelier Red + Black. <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSarangi">@TheSarangi</a>

Heide MOMA II (by McGlashan &amp; Everist) is simply magical and one of Melbourne’s hidden gems. Previously a home for the Museum founders, it is now a gallery. It demonstrates beautifully how art, architecture and landscape are intertwined. I cannot do justice to describing it; you have to go there! But it reaffirms my belief that great architecture doesn’t age – it is robust and continues to enrich lives for decades. Heide III by O’Connor &amp; Houle is a fitting addition to this building and a testament to the thriving architectural scene in Melbourne.

Cr Rohan Leppert – Melbourne City Councillor. <a href="https://twitter.com/RohanLeppert">@RohanLeppert</a>

I have so many favourite spaces in Melbourne, but up there would have to be the Meat Market on Blackwood Street, North Melbourne. As a performing arts space, it’s got to be one of the most unusual buildings around – which is one of the reasons why so many emerging and contemporary artists love it. Its long history, which is central to the story of Melbourne’s growth as a city and as a community, continues to evolve in ever more interesting ways, without one ever losing the sense of this building’s remarkable working past.

<h2>Why is good architecture so important?</h2>

Jill Garner – Associate Victorian Government Architect

Utilitas (function? commodity? utility?), firmitas (solidity? materiality?), and venustas (beauty? delight?). Design’s power to make ordinary objects desirable can confuse its (more? equally?) important capacity to make things and places safe, understandable, durable, functional, affordable and energy efficient. The true value of (good) architecture lies in its capacity to integrate a solution to the mundane problems of occupation, with the capacity to change our perception of place, and the very best architecture integrates use with space, material and light in such a way that our senses soar.

Bad architecture – or no architecture – costs so much.

Peter Malatt – Architect, President of the Victorian Chapter of the Australian institute of Architects

Good architecture enriches our lives in ways which make every day a better day

Good Architecture stimulates all the senses of touch, taste, smell, sight and sound.

Good Architecture lasts longer, looks better, smells better, is better for the public and uses less energy.

Good Architecture gets better as it gets older.

Stuart Harrison – Architect, Writer, Broadcaster, Director of Harrison and White Architects. <a href="https://twitter.com/stuartnharrison">@stuartnharrison</a>

Better designed cities, buildings and public spaces make life more productive, satisfying and enjoyable whilst fostering a sense of community. Architecture is central to this, it is a glue to bring together people, spaces and stories. Good architecture should be promoted, debated, tested and understood to become truly good, in the minds of all who use, see and experience it.

Leone Lorrimer – Architect, CEO DWP Suters. <a href="https://twitter.com/LeoneLorrimer">@LeoneLorrimer</a>

I often reflect on the power of good architecture to change behaviour. Historically, churches, town halls and court houses were symbols of civic power. The Sydney Opera House was the first public building to challenge the cultural status quo of an entire city – daring the city to re-evaluate its role on the world stage. The design of the Sydney Opera House was the equivalent of the moon landing; without it the boundaries of technology in design and construction would not have been pushed so hard and so fast. With the Sydney Opera House, innovative architecture took on a new role as the visual identity of a city. Today the Sydney Opera House still creates awe, raises aspirations and changes behaviour. Where else would you stage the Festival of Dangerous Ideas?

<h2>How would you like to see the architecture profession change?</h2>

Warrick Mihaly – Architect, director of Mihaly Slocombe Architects, Writer of Panfilocastaldi. <a href="https://twitter.com/MihalySlocombe">@MihalySlocombe</a>

The architecture profession has been in a sustained crisis for as long as I can remember. I’d like to see us respond to this by diversifying our contribution to society into new territory. This will mean accessing segments of the building industry currently closed to us (like volume built housing), as well as generalising our skills beyond it. Our education and training bestow upon us a unique and valuable worldview. We need to put this to use wherever there is need for complex thinking and sophisticated creativity. Politics, strategic planning, finance, the media and entrepreneurial start-ups would be a great start.

Tania Davidge – Architect, Writer, Director of OpenHAUS. <a href="https://twitter.com/taniadavidge">@taniadavidge</a>

The reality is that the profession is already changing. Globalisation and the ever increasing speed of communication have opened up new contexts for architects to practice in. New technologies and the outsourcing of architectural services are changing how architects go about their business. This change is double-edged – it opens up possibilities for architects and broadens the audience for architecture but at the same time it has the potential to decrease architectural agency and relegate architects to the position of spatial image makers if we don’t pay attention.

If we want the profession to change for the better we need to redefine the practice of architecture for ourselves rather than let external pressures shape architecture. Within this context, I would like to see the practice of architecture expand to encompass greater diversity and to make a shift from object-centric preoccupations to incorporate more strategic ways of thinking about the city and the people who inhabit it.

Kim Irons – Architect, Director of Irons McDuff Architecture, Principal Adviser, Architecture + Transport OVGA and Architectural Adviser to Public Transport Victoria. <a href="https://twitter.com/IronsMcDuff">@IronsMcDuff</a>

I would like to encourage the profession to work more collaboratively in all aspects of research, academia, advisory, advocacy, and practice to demonstrate the value of good design – not just as an outcome but as a process. If we measure and demonstrate the value of design both in economic and social terms, we could be better advocates for our contribution to the built environment. Evidence exists for value of design in schools and hospitals, but we need more evidence across other typologies, and the public realm. The evidence for good design could lever our capacity to advocate the role and worth of architects to drive innovation and reduce ‘design risk.’

Timothy Horton – Architect, Registrar Architects Registration Board, New South Wales. <a href="http://twitter.com/timhorton_">@timhorton_</a>

More than anything I’d like the profession to own its own data. Why? Succeeding in advocacy, engagement and change often means having numbers to hand to either give shape to a problem (look at the movement on gender equity that comes from being confronted by the facts), or to sketch out a model of the opportunities on offer. This might mean collecting the data to validate those early promises on how a project will increase workplace productivity, or to put some quantities around the supply chain implications of decisions on materials or assemblies. Without its own cache of data, architecture risks being viewed as unverifiable overspruik.

<h2>How would you like to see Melbourne evolve over the next 20 years?</h2>

Clay Lucas – City Editor at The Age newspaper. <a href="https://twitter.com/ClayLucas">@ClayLucas</a>

Two planners from NSW I had a meeting with this week remarked how, compared to Melbourne, Sydney’s CBD had too many wind tunnels and dark corridors where you felt over-powered by skyscrapers. Over the next 20 years, I hope Melbourne’s CBD can accommodate high-rise residential development without making the central city an unpleasant place to be. More widely, it would be great if affordable, quality housing was created in the middle-ring suburbs – the lack of it drives some of the city’s more serious planning problems. And major transport projects will hopefully henceforth be built based on facts, not propaganda or a vibe; both the East West Link and the Regional Rail Link were supported without a transparent and honest exploration of the city’s needs.

Monique Woodward – Architect, Director of WOWOWA Architecture. <a href="https://twitter.com/WOWOWA_Arch">@WOWOWA_Arch</a>

What if Architects fees were tax deductible? What if the polite but inevitable cocktail party conversation regarding real estate and tax breaks merged into contributing higher quality housing stock for wins at tax time? After all, financial planner fees can be taken from a client’s superannuation fund because the perception is their service contributes to overall wealth. For most, the Australian fiscal dream revolves around money made from renovation after renovation but so few use an architect. What is it about architecture that people have a problem with? I wager a fear of cost blowouts coupled with seemly exorbitant fees. Making our service seem more attractive and accessible starts to address at least part of this issue.

Alastair Taylor – Urbanist and an Editor of the Apartments.com.au website. <a href="https://twitter.com/tayser82">@tayser82</a>

Plain and simple: more urban growth, more walkable, less suburban growth and less auto-centric. We can now safely say the centre of Melbourne fits this bill however the challenge over the next 20 years will to replicate this success to areas further afield, and in an appropriate form. Smaller scale projects like those in the Anstey precinct of Brunswick are the type of development I’d like to see all over Melbourne – medium to high density, 5-7 levels high, right next to existing public transport infrastructure.

And speaking of Anstey, one thing to keep an eye on is how architects will have an impact on the development industry. The Nightingale project might just spawn a whole new direction for the way urban development is undertaken in this city.

Emma Appleton – Director of the Victorian Design Review Panel, Office of the Victorian Government Architect

To retain Melbourne’s cherished live-ability, our transition to a medium density future needs to be supported by sustained and deliberate investment in the green and blue infrastructure of our city.

We must transform the way we think about, design and manage our public realm, and protect and enhance the natural systems which sustain us, to meet the demands of more intensive use, increased consumption and pollution and to support our quality of life.

The streets, boulevards, parks, and public places, and our river corridors and natural landscapes are the lungs and connectors of our city, essential to our well-being and health, and central to the character and identity of Melbourne and who we are as citizens.

<hr>
Congratulations to Michael and as always architecture is for everyone! See the remainder of Michael Smith's <a href="https://theredandblackarchitect.wordpress.com/2015/05/04/the-red-black-architect-post-100/">milestone post</a> on the Red and Black Architect blog. You can also follow Michael on <a href="https://twitter.com/Red_Black_Archi">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/redblackarch">Facebook</a>.

Lead image courtesy <a href="http://melbournedaily.blogspot.com.au/">Melbourne Fresh Daily</a>.
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silvermb

Melbourne and architecture: prominent figures voice their opinion

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In response to the <a href="/news/do-apartment-dwellers-want-to-entertain-guests-at-home">first research findings</a> from the <a href="/news/atelier-red-black-announce-ratemybuildingcomau">Rate My Building</a> project, journalist Nathan Johnson from Architecture &amp; Design, sent through some questions relating to minimum apartment design standards which have been much talked about since they were leaked to the media in 2014.

The original interview was posted on <a href="http://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/comment/australia-s-apartment-design-going-backwards-vic-a">Architecture &amp; Design</a>.

Nathan Johnson (NJ) – What do you think of the news that Victorian Planning Minister Richard Wynne is preparing a discussion paper on setting design standards for Melbourne apartments?

Red + Black Architect (R+BA) – I am cautious about this news. On the one hand any step towards improving the design quality of apartments is a good thing. In my view we desperately need a minimum design standard as the free market approach is failing our urban population. On the other hand apartment design standards have been talked about for a long time now and I think it is now time for action. To add in more talk about possibly taking action, one day in the future, will cause thousands of additional poorly designed homes to be built in our cities. Once they are built and sold off they are very difficult if not impossible to remedy.

NJ – What would you as an architect like to see from a set of Apartment Standards for Victoria?

R+BA – First of all we should look at what the problems people are experiencing are. As an example I can refer to some of the responses in the Rate My Building survey research which highlight some of the issues we need to solve

Example One:

“The kitchen lacks storage space for pots and pans. Cabinets are narrow and shallow. Not designed for people who cook their meals.”

<ul>
<li>Occupier of a new apartment (less than 5 years old) in NSW</li>
</ul>
Not everyone wants to use their kitchen to cook their meals. However by allowing the free market to determine adequate kitchen design, it would appear that inadequate kitchen design becomes the standard built outcome. This is particularly the case on the smaller 1 bedroom and studio apartments. This has an adverse impact on those (who are likely to be in the majority) who want to prepare their own meals. For the sake of a developer’s profit margin in a single year, a large number of residents for the lifetime of the building will have a basic human activity made very difficult.

Example Two:

“Bedroom is too small for a queen size bed.”

<ul>
<li>Occupier of a new apartment (less than 5 years old) in Victoria</li>
</ul>
Whilst not everyone wants or owns a queen sized bed, for some people, particularly those who are taller than average, a queen sized bed is the only size which will enable a good night sleep. Market conditions are therefore forcing some people to choose between living uncomfortable, unhealthy lives, or not in an apartment and therefore not in the city. I think these are precisely the types of issues that minimum apartment standards should address.

There are other issues pertaining to tower developments which also need further scrutiny. The separation or distance between apartment towers and the mix of apartment types within a tower, I think is also crying out for better oversight. Allowing the market to determine these issues has led to poor outcomes such as in Southbank where very large towers have been built with only a few metres separating them. These may be part of the Apartment Standards or they may be addressed within the planning system. Regardless of how it is done, we need to put in place a system that will get the best built outcomes, not just deliver the biggest developer profits.

NJ – What are the forces driving apartment quality down in Victoria at the moment?

R+BA – Clearly there are a few factors involved. I think a significant contributor is the large amount of foreign investment we are seeing at the moment. Foreign investment is great for our cities overall however it can cause future problems if we get swept up in the enthusiasm and fail to properly plan and design. Many of these investors will never step foot in their apartment and will either choose to rent it out or in some cases leave it unoccupied in the medium term. Just because apartment quality is not a high priority for these investors, doesn’t mean that future occupants of these apartments should be forced into living with below basic amenity.

Some would also be quick to point the finger at developers. Developers have a very strong interest in, and in many cases a duty to make the most money for the company. They are poorly placed to create any change that may have any negative impact on their current or future profits. They will comply with laws and regulations of course but will not aim for higher standards unless they come attached with higher profits.

So we have a situation where a substantial number of purchasers are not interested in quality and the developers on the supply side trying to maximise profits. So then who or what is protecting the long term interests of our built environment?

NJ – How would your version of the standards benefit apartment quality?

R+BA – In my view, a developer should be able to choose between two regulatory frameworks. Option one would be to comply with a series of mandated minimum requirements. These requirements would cover aspects such as overall apartment sizes, minimum room sizes, access to daylight and ventilation and other considerations to ensure basic suitability for a healthy living standard. As a further example, bedroom sizes must be at least a prescribed minimum size to enable a queen sized bed to be easily accommodated. This rulebook approach would enable developer’s certainty with regards to internal amenity requirements.

A second option would also be open for developers which would be more a performance based approach. To achieve compliance they would be required to satisfy the OVGA Design Review Panel that although particular sizes have not been met, amenity has not been compromised. Smaller spaces can absolutely be liveable, however in order to retain amenity, they must be designed very well.

These rules would achieve a higher standard of dwelling which would be suitable for a much wider demographic. It would give the occupiers choice over how they live on a day to day basis and not effectively decide for them.

NJ – Who should be the key parties involved in the design and application of these standards?

R+BA – The clear leaders in the area of design policy are the Office of the Victorian Government Architect. They need to be given the resources needed to finish the job they have started. Under the Napthine Government the OVGA were isolated and had their funding cut, despite delivering excellent results. The key leadership position within the OVGA, that of Victorian Government Architect, was left to sit vacant, despite the previous VGA giving six-months’ notice of his intention to leave. We need this to be addressed in the very short term if we are serious about the design quality in our cities.

As for who should be designing apartment buildings I would argue that we need to give these buildings more respect generally and mandate the use of Architects to design them. No doubt there will be some building designers who have the skills to do the job. For these people the answer is very well discussed in a previous article by the Australian Institute of Architects President, David Karotkin who noted the following:

<blockquote>
There are pathways for building designers to become registered architects to accommodate those who do not have the appropriate university degree. Building design professionals who can demonstrate the required competency standards and who are willing to commit to the professional standards and obligations of the Architects Act are able to become registered architects. There is no restriction on who can demonstrate these standards in order to become an architect.
<cite>Australian Institute of Architects President, David Karotkin</cite>
</blockquote>

As our cities grow, it is vital that we design them to be as sustainable, healthy and liveable as possible. There is very strong evidence to suggest that we are going backwards on apartment design. Our current free market approach is delivering developers higher profits but leaving an enduring legacy of poor apartments which will have very negative impacts on our future. Once individually sold off, these problems are almost impossible to fix.

As Winston Churchill once said: “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.”

This post originally appeared on the <a href="https://theredandblackarchitect.wordpress.com/2015/04/23/apartment-design-standards-qa/">Red and Black Architect blog</a>. Atelier Red + Black are an Apartments.com.au Industry Hub member organisation.

Lead image courtesy slideshare.net.
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Apartment Design Standards Q&A

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Apartments.com.au recently sat down for a chat with <a href="http://www.lucasre.com.au/">Lucas Real Estate</a> Managing Director Glen Lucas along with Director of Property Management and recent recipient of the Property Manager of the Year award, Dylan Emmett. On the agenda was the current state of the Docklands and its progress during the 15 years Lucas Real Estate has been active in the precinct. With an office located on Docklands Drive, it has provided Glen and the Lucas Real Estate team with first hand experience of the Docklands dynamic and its continued growth.

Recent criticism of the area, they say is unfounded and what Docklands really needs is time to develop, a continued influx of residents, some more quality food and beverage offerings and a waterfront drawcard that is unique to the area.

Apartments.com.au: Is it fair to say that you have had a heavy focus on Docklands? How did you come to be involved in the area?

Glen Lucas: I was in Docklands from 2000. I worked for MAB Corp for about 3 years and helped to set up Metro Real Estate which was their early real estate business, and then I began Lucas Real Estate. I had a property which one of the project developers wanted me to sell for him, which I did, but I didn’t realise so many owners down here were trying to lease their apartment out and they were sort of stuck with the developer and their real estate arm because there was no independent at that time. I was having people throw keys to me saying “Glen can you rent this out… can you sell this for me?”.

Very quickly my little business started to take off and a year or so later Mirvac approached me to buy their rent roll. Ultimately we bought their sales centre down at Yarra’s Edge and I guess that was my first retail real estate position location. In 2006 the market really began to rumble along and there were three of us that went there first, within a year there were about 10 of us and so on. I started ringing up Andrew Buxton asking “Andy when are you going to sell Metro Real Estate?” and every year he’d say “there’s a few agents after that Glenny”.

Eventually we purchased it and we’ve got a great relationship with MAB, we manage the marina down here on their behalf and also the car parking contracts as well.

We now have about 35 team members, two real estate offices and we’re really keen to open up an office in the CBD or Southbank, and even though we’ve looked at a few opportunities, we feel the best opportunity for us is to get the people and then proceed with the office.

UM: What are your thoughts on the current state of the market in Docklands?

GL: Last month was a ripper month for us with about 26 sales, very active with a lot of people making decisions and you know the really interesting figure is that 70% of our buyers are owner occupiers, and we see that as a real good news story for Docklands; that people are actually wanting to come down and live here in Docklands.

But I think the market is a bit patchy, it’s a different market altogether to other Melbourne areas such as Hawthorn, Kew, those sorts of areas where there’s a shortage of stock. Days on market average around 129; we average 71 days so it’s how you market and how you draw your people, but no we don’t have 20 groups coming through for an open for inspection, if we get 2 or 3 we feel that we’re pretty fortunate.

UM: What are resale values like in Docklands?

GL: If you go back to some of the earlier buildings you’ll get good gains, naturally the later buildings that are sold at $9,000-10,000/sqm are struggling to get to that sort of level although we do from time to time, but it depends on specific buildings. We’ve probably sold about half a dozen in The Quays that have either delivered people returns or close to.

I think what it comes down to is you hear a lot of reports on the market from out of area agents coming in here and not understanding Docklands, whereas our view is very simple: you have to explain what Docklands is going to look like in the future to prospective buyers. So if they have a reasonable understanding then they’ll pay a good price for the property. But if you try and sell it as someone who doesn’t know anything about the Docklands, who doesn’t know what the next tower is or infrastructure will bethen they’ll struggle.

Dylan Emmett: I think what we see down here, where there’s quality put into a development both the initial release, the secondary market and the rental market goes very strongly. Look at Mirvac's T5, which is a perfect scenario that when developer’s build quality stock people will pay good money for it.

UM: T5 would have to be one of the more sought after addresses in Docklands wouldn’t it?

GL: T5 was probably one of the better towers. 125sqm, two bedroom apartment with a 40sqm balcony and two car parks and as you guys would know, that’s a 3 bedroom or even a 4 bedroom in some other buildings. But then there’s also the facilities available was well and Mirvac certainly have a very good reputation and a good following. Their clientele generally consist of multiple buyers of Mirvac product – they do the databasing really well – so that when they do go to the market they can rely on about 20% of past clients buying into that building so their machine runs pretty well.

Lend Lease have done really well with their <a href="/buildings/concavo-8-waterside-place-docklands">Convesso Concavo</a> development as well - two high quality north facing towers; we'd love to get in there and be a bit more active.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/fullsizerender.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Lend Lease's Convesso Concavo at Victoria Harbour. © Urban.com.au"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="435" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/fullsizerender.jpg?itok=jrhs86sy" title="Lend Lease's Convesso Concavo at Victoria Harbour. © Urban.com.au" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Lend Lease's Convesso Concavo at Victoria Harbour.</figcaption></figure>UM: How has it been for you watching the Docklands develop over the last 15 or so years?

GL: Amazing. I’d go on holidays, be away for say two weeks and then I’d be rushing in to see what’s gone up… some of the towers now, as you would know go up a floor a week. I’m glad Harbour Town has sold and that there will be major changes and renovations to Harbour Town.

UM: There was a figure floating around of something like $1B worth of investment in Harbour Town by Ashe Morgan, the new owners.

GL: Well there’s a lot of space back there so I really hope they do. ING just weren’t investing back in their real estate side of their business.

UM: As specialists in the area, in terms of a policy or infrastructure what would you like to see?

GL: In terms of policy, I’d like more attention put into transport in the area here. I think if you’re on the corner of Lorimer and Montague at 8:30 in the morning or 6 at night you have no idea where the traffic is going, you don’t know what lane you’re supposed to be in – it’s just insane that intersection! And if they’re building another 29 buildings at Fishermans Bend they’re going to have to really have to do something about the transport there for sure. I think it’s something that is pretty critical.

As far as any sort of attraction is concerned I think either the wave pool beach concept, or the fountain in the middle of Victoria Harbour would be fantastic attractions down here in Docklands. The area does need something that will draw people back down here to help the retailers and restaurateurs draw crowds down here.

UM: The immediate area at NewQuay and Harbour Town will be getting another good influx of residents with MAB’s <a href="http://www.aquipromenade.com.au/aquipromenade">Aqui</a> and <a href="http://www.newquaypromenade.com.au/home">NewQuay Promenade</a> developments together with HiapHoe’s <a href="/buildings/marina-tower-6-pearl-river-road-docklands">Marina Tower</a> and hotel now under construction.

GL: For sure, that will definitely go some way to helping the area along, it’s all a cycle.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_0368.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Aqui and NewQuay Promenade piling underway. © Urban.com.au"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="435" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_0368.jpg?itok=PmxbH1r3" title="Aqui and NewQuay Promenade piling underway. © Urban.com.au" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Aqui and NewQuay Promenade piling underway.</figcaption></figure><figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_0369.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Marina Tower and Four Points Sheraton also at piling stage. © Urban.com.au"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="435" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_0369.jpg?itok=rIaMeLaf" title="Marina Tower and Four Points Sheraton also at piling stage. © Urban.com.au" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Marina Tower and Four Points Sheraton also at piling stage.</figcaption></figure>UM: What sort of demographic do you find moving to Docklands?

DE: Generally couples and empty nesters…

GL: The kids have left home and they're tossing up what they're going to do with their lives.

DE: A lot of their families are spread across Melbourne, left, right and center so it's a great position geographically for them to base themselves down here.

UM: Does it differ for the rental market?

GL: Actually, that's a good point.

DE: You still get a fair percentage of them but the majority of our renters are basically CBD workers.

GL: And not overseas students as some people like to believe. What percentage would they make up Dylan?

DE: Less than 5%. So very few. I think it's because we're a bit away from the universities so they still gravitate towards the CBD.

UM: Why do you think Docklands generates very little positive press in the media?

GL: I think it's an easy target for lazy journalists. They may have had a bad meal (laughs). They probably have a deadline and need an easy story so they pick between Tony Abbott or Docklands, they don't really understand that it's a developing suburb barely just over half way complete as we speak… there's a lot more to Docklands still to come.

UM: Planning experts and journalists often like to compare Docklands to the existing Hoddle Grid and criticise it for lacking the same atmosphere and activity. But if you look at Melbourne's CBD 20 years ago, and we're talking about an established city with over a century of history behind it, it was pretty much dead after work hours. You compare that to Docklands which is still establishing itself as part of the city but has only been around 15 years you can't expect the same result.

GL: And that's pretty much it. You've got to give it latitude and allow the growth to occur over time. There was a report just recently, maybe 3 or so months ago about vacancies in Docklands. It actually referred to water consumption in Docklands buildings.

Some company put out a report and a journalist picked it up and ran with it when in actual fact we have here less than 2% vacancy. We cannot get enough stock to satisfy the demand and number of inquiries we receive from renters averages 110 per week.

DE: The Quays is the best example of the most recently completed building whereby that was full within 4 and a half months and that's 500 apartments. Typically in the past it has taken up to six months to fill a building so I think it's a really good indication of the increased activity that we currently have in Docklands.

UM: Gentlemen, thank you both for your time.
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Lucas Real Estate and the current state of play in Docklands

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Urban.com.au recently caught up with ICD Property's Director of Operations and Development Manager, Sal Quah, along with ANGLE Director Lachie Gibson just prior to the official launch of the Maple Hawthorn display suite.

Having visited a number of display suites over the years, I can safely say that the Maple display is in the upper echelon. Sal took me through the display suite explaining the rationale behind the interiors, the layout of the apartments and the flexibility they offer to residents to really customize the apartment to suit their needs, be they single, married or with a family.

Laurence Dragomir: How did ANGLE come to be involved with the project? ICD owned the site for a number of years.

Sal Quah: The last couple of years we've been focusing on some of our larger projects and the smaller ones like Maple were just sitting there so we gauged buyer interest but also interest from development partners and ANGLE was one of the names put forward to us. We were really impressed by ANGLE and they actually reminded us a lot of ICD Property when we started in Melbourne. The research they undertook and the final presentation they put together for the project was far beyond anything we had expected. In the end it became a really easy decision.

Lachie Gibson: We've really enjoyed working with ICD Property, the whole team there is really young and passionate.

SQ: There's a real synergy that's developed between us.

LG: We went out to dinner with all the guys and we all pretty much hit it off straight away. It's been really smooth sailing all the way through on the project which isn't always the case.

LD: ICD already had the project in the works when you were marketing Eq Tower?

SQ: We had You and I and this site before we started on Eq Tower. Eq pretty much took up all of our resources.

LD: How did the name Maple come about?

LG: The inspiration was the maple tree on level 3. We wanted something that was really different and unique. Hawthorn's generally really known for being a green, leafy suburb so the maple tree as a feature was something we hadn't seen done here in Australia, particularly on a project of this size. It makes the corner of the building a real feature so essentially it was really about choosing what that tree was going to be. We love maple trees - my old man is actually a big fan of maple trees - but it also ties in really well with the architecture and there's a bit of Japanese inspiration in there.

LD: It's interesting that the maple tree idea came first and that as a result it has essentially become the identity for the building.

LG: It was really organic wasn't it Sal?

SQ: Yes, very spontaneous.

LG: In the end it seemed pretty obvious - why don't we just call it Maple? We thought that's not a bad idea, but let's sit on it and explore other options and then just came back to that. What's pretty cool as well is that it will change colour all year round. In summer it will be green and provide protection for these guys, but then come autumn it will turn red and in winter it'll let light in.

It makes for a really dynamic building - all these screens are sliding, they feather so as you move around the building, it changes appearance. The rationale I suppose in distinguishing the lower levels to the upper levels - is really about creating two parts to the building. The 'podium' levels are really guarded - it's a busy corner so the residents need privacy whereas on the upper levels, you're raised up and setback from the street so it's a lot more open and privacy is not as much of an issue.

LD: I think what's great is the residents have their privacy but being such a prominent corner the podium levels still have an active and animated facade unlike for instance above ground car parks. I was saying to Sal earlier, I really like how the balcony deflects inwards to embrace the maple tree.

LG: There was a fair bit of work involved in getting the detailing right for that but it's a pretty cool feature, especially for the people who will own the apartments around it.These are million dollar apartments up there and everyone gets the benefit of the canopy and its coverage.

LD: What's been interesting - and Sal and I were discussing this earlier - is the standard and quality of apartment buildings of this size and scale, particularly in the inner city, has gone up in the last couple of years. Looking at some of the finished and joinery etc. it seems quite apparent to me that with a development such as this you're really targeting that owner-occupier market. Would that be right?

LG: I would say that Melbourne is definitely a world leader in this space. We do a lot of creative marketing through another business called Earl Street and we were up in Sydney yesterday with some clients and you see the quality of the architecture up there and it's not even close to what we have here in Melbourne, which is probably 5 years ahead, and I don't know if Sydney will ever catch up. I think its born out of not only being competitive but the creative industry in Melbourne's so strong and thriving; in hospitality, in fashion etc. I think we're streets ahead.

SQ: I think it's also the culture created through migration and intellectuals bringing these really global ideas and way of thinking.

LG: That's a really good point. Plus the size of the stock's another one as well - you've sort of picked up on the owner occupier focus.

LD: Sal took me through the floor plans earlier and I noticed the one bedders are a decent size. They were about 54sqm from memory?

LG: The smallest apartments start from 51sqm which is pretty rare these days. But we made a real push for that.

LD: I've had a look over the layouts and I think they're great - all the apartments seem really well laid out, all bedrooms receive natural light and ventilation.

LG: The project threw up some really interesting challenges and I suppose came up with some responses that were really pushing the boundaries in that we hadn't really seen layouts like that. Particularly these two bedders there's no saddlebacks, no borrowed light which we're really proud of but getting these two bedrooms out onto the facade works really well.

A) You get a lot of natural light to all your rooms B) you get more privacy to your living area and C) you get a deck with 3 different interfaces and allows for a much more square shape which makes it really usable.

On the lower levels you can close the screens and open up the bedroom doors or the living area and still have that level of privacy. We've never really seen a floor plan like this so we took a bit of a risk with it.

LD: Is there scope for ANGLE to move on to larger projects? And will we be seeing more ICD and ANGLE joint projects in the future?

LG: I think the answer to both questions is definitely. We've really enjoyed working with ICD and look forward to any future opportunities to do so.

SQ: The feeling from ICD is mutual.

LD: Lachie and Sal, thank you both for your time.
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